Working of Wind Turbines

The objective of this exercise is to measure the pressure distribution across the surface on an aerofoil in a wind tunnel. The aerofoil is tested under several different Mach numbers from subsonic to supercritical. The purpose of measuring the pressure distributions is to assess the validity of the Prandtl-Glauert law and to discuss the changing chracteristics of the flow as the Mach number increases from subsonic to transonic.

In this experiment in a low speed flow the static pressure around an aerofoil will be observed and discussed. The lift on the aerofoil will also be calculated and compared with the theoretical value. The aerofoil being used in this particular experiment is symmetrical and is taking place in a wind tunnel with a speed of 18.5m/s, therefore the flow is assumed to be incompressible. The different pressures along the surface of the aerofoil will be measured at an angle of attack of 4.1 degrees and 6.2

Everyone knows that the wind is one of the most significant factor of weather and climate because of its role in influencing the distribution of energy and moisture between the parts of the globe. Recently, people have begun to exploit the wind energy which is witnessing the fastest growth in the world. In fact, this source of energy is growing rapidly in all parts of the world. So, most of governments are trying to use wind power for different aspects. In addition, two decades of efforts to achieve technical progress has led to the production of very sophisticated wind turbines which are adjustable, easy and quick to install. Wind power may have many disadvantages, but the advantage of wind energy is more than the disadvantages. So, there are many environmental advantages of wind power such as renewable source, reduction of greenhouse gases, reduction of water consumption, and taking a small space in the land.

There are some requirements that are needed to make wind power a successful source of energy.

There is a rising commitment towards utilizing clean energy across the world. Wind turbines happen to be an efficient choice to meet some of the demand on electricity. A group of wind turbines connected to each other by electrical cables forms a wind farm. A wind farm produces 17 to 39 times the power it consumes, which is more efficient when compared to other forms of energy such as nuclear power (16 times) or coal (11 times) [1].

For years the United States has been searching for an efficient form of clean energy. Wind energy has the potential to become the base of sustainable energy for America’s future. Although there are a few disadvantages to wind energy, the protection it offers along with the economical and environmental advantages provide many reasons to use more wind energy and less coal and fossil fuels in America.

Although the use of wind energy backs to more than hundreds of years (the wind wheel of Heron of Alexandria in the first century AD is the earliest known instance of using a wind-driven wheel to power a machine (Drachmann, 1961; Lohrmann, 1995)), it is yet an immature and growing technology. In recent years, coastal and offshore wind turbines are growing fast, as an attractive means for clean energy production. Due to the nature of the wind in offshore regions, that are powerful and more uniform than inland winds, offshore wind turbines can produce energy effectively (Musial and Butterfield, 2006). It should be noted that the extracted energy is proportional to the cubic of the wind speed which means an increase in wind speed has a significant influence on the amount of produced energy. In addition, it is more cost effective to place

Deal, 2010, ‘Wind Power: An Emerging Energy Resource’, Technology and Engineering Teacher, pp. 9-15, viewed on September 12, 2011, retrieved from: http://search.proquest.com/docview/853062621/fulltextPDF/13255EC175479D10C7A/1?accountid=42518

A wind turbine is a machine that converts the wind’s kinetic energy into mechanical energy. If the energy is then directed by machinery it is called a windmill, but if the energy is converted into electricity it is a wind turbine. Wind turbines are old technology but used to meet new challenges. There are two main types of wind turbines: rotating on the vertical axis or on the horizontal axis. The horizontal axis is the most common. These three bladed turbines have the main rotor shaft and electrical generator

Wind power can be produced by air flow turning wind turbines or sails, often used to create mechanical or electrical power. As one of the clean and recycle energy, more and more countries pay attention to wind power. According to the recent EU analysis for the new constructions, the cost of the wind power has fallen to a fifth of that cost in the 20th century during the last 10 years, due to use the new method of math modeling and the new technology of the electrical component. With the development of the analysis in wind power, engineering mathematics takes an important part in using the wind to produce electrical

Efforts from the different branches of Engineering are required to set a reliable wind power generation technology. The major branches of engineering related to harness the wind power are highlighted in Figure… In the WECS, there should be a close association among the different branches of engineering to manage the wind turbine aerodynamics,

As the world is growing, demand for energy is also considerably increasing. Now a days due to more concern on pollution free power generation sources renewable energy sources are in high demand. Wind farm is also one of the renewable energy source and its use and implementation is considerably increasing. As the wind is not constant at all the time, so generated power may vary. We can get stable power by using particular control strategies but still we need to minimize transients available in power. As well characteristics should match between generator source and load. In this

In the medium air speed wind tunnels where wind speed ranges from 1.5 – 40m/s, several types of wind tunnels can be applied. At first, an open suction type wind tunnel can have a large test section with high contraction ratio [3]. This type of wind tunnel has a large inlet area to take motionless air to the test section. Air filters can be installed before the inlet to prevent any dust from entering the test section and disturbing the air flow [3]. It also provides a pressure drop to generate uniform flow at the inlet. A honeycomb-shaped panel and several sheets of screens are installed in the settling chamber of the wind tunnel. The contraction section makes the air flow more uniform and stable. A diffuser is placed downstream of the test section to prevent an adverse pressure gradient. This is done by increasing the cross-sectional area along the main flow direction [3].

The Eau Bank is located in Eau Bank Road, North Somercotes Louth, Lincolnshire LN11 7LP. As the the 2001 census, Louth had a population of approximately 28 people. This comprise of 16 women and 12 men living in 12 households. The location is on the longitude 0.120151 and latitude 53.484. The intending wind project will make available a suitable method of generating a clean renewable, sustainable and efficient electrical energy to Eau Bank farm community using a single micro wind turbine. The choice of turbine to be installed is based on certain design criteria such as economic value, physical robustness, quiet nature and high efficiency. Gaia wind turbine possesses all the afore-mentioned qualities as a single micro turbine will be mounted on a 18m tower in an open landscape with few buildings and possibility of no windbreaks all through the year to be able to get the wind speed at 6.8m/s. One promising and innovative idea is to install a turbine higher than the surrounding areas to have access to a more energetic wind resource.

1, 2 Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA